Stay Awake
by Orrymain
Summary: Daniel and Jack are both injured on a routine mission. Will Sam and Teal'c find them in time?


Title: Stay Awake  
  
Author: Orrymain  
  
Author Email: marciastudley@comcast.net  
  
Category: Slash, H/C, Angst, Romance, Established Relationship  
  
Pairing: Jack/Daniel .... and it's all J/D   
  
Rating: PG-13   
  
Spoilers: One False Step, 1969, Holiday, Fair Game, Upgrades, Window of Opportunity, Divide and Conquer (none of these are anything major, just a few references to a couple of things that happened in each show, and it has nothing at all to do with "ship")  
  
Size: 79kb; short story  
  
Written: July 29-Aug 10 2003  
  
Archive: Area52, Comfort Zone, FanFiction.Net, Cartouche, AlphaGate   
  
Disclaimer: Usual disclaimers -- not mine, wish they were, especially Daniel, and Jack, too, but they aren't. This was a whim; all in fun. I don't have anything to do with them legally at all!  
  
Summary: On a routine mission, Daniel and Jack both get injured. Will Sam and Teal'c find them in time?  
  
Notes:   
  
1) Information about the Cliff Palace is taken and quoted, with slight changes to allow for better flow, from http://members.tripod.com/~k_two/mysteries/lostcity.htm  
  
2) Jack and Daniel are noted for having what I call double conversations. A simple "Jack" could mean several things, saying much more than just the name itself. A normal question like "what are you doing" could carry multiple connotations, including feelings, desires, fears, etc. At various points during this series, these double conversations are noted like this: "Actual Spoken Words" **(double dialogue meaning)**  
  
3) Special thanks to Sam aka: the Evil Enabler who started this whole thing and has provided encouragement and feedback and essentially been an unofficial beta from the get-go of my fan fic writing; also to babs, Devra and Jo for comments and suggestions that helped to mold this fic in the beginning; and a giant salute to DebA for the wonderful medical beta making the all that hurt match all that comfort!  
  
Stay Awake  
  
By Orrymain  
  
"Welcome to my world .... rocks, rocks and more rocks," Jack O'Neill commented as he scanned the depressing terrain on P2Y-333. It was a basic recon and field trip, the kind of outing that usually left Jack bored stiff as the science twins, better known as Major Samantha Carter and Dr. Daniel Jackson, "played." On 333, Sam would be doing a variety of soil and sample testing while Daniel wore his anthropological hat, checking out the terrain for any signs of a long-gone society.  
  
Jack and Teal'c often times were nothing more than onlookers on these trips through the stargate. Truth be told, Jack didn't mind this mission. It was calming to have an occasional break from all the Goa'uld and "who has the bigger honkin' gun" quests.  
  
"Carter, you and Teal'c go play that way for a while, and Daniel and I are going to do a little exploring up ahead. Radio check in two hours."  
  
The planet was flat, with very little vegetation or greenery and no signs of life, but it did have rocks everywhere they looked. "Danny should be in rock heaven," Jack chuckled to himself. He and Daniel were traveling north, both quiet with their thoughts and observations.   
  
Jack was surprised his archaeologist had been so silent as they surveyed the planet, only stopping occasionally to examine various formations in their path, and even then, Daniel hadn't sounded very excited.   
  
"Hey, Danny, why so quiet?"  
  
Daniel was disappointed. He had hoped he'd find something to show some culture or history for this planet, but he had to agree with Jack's initial assessment.  
  
"They're ..... rocks, Jack." Daniel could see nothing unique or special in anything they had come across.   
  
"Artifacts," Jack corrected, sensing his teammate's mood from his tone and choice of words.  
  
"No, just rocks, but let's keep looking. There must be something here that will give us an insight about who might have lived here once. There's a rise up ahead, Jack; maybe there will be something there."  
  
Carter and Teal'c radioed in as scheduled. Sam informed the colonel that they were making progress, encouraged by some unexpected mineral finds. "I'd like to do a few more tests, Sir," she requested of her CO.   
  
Jack agreed. "Daniel and I are going to keep going for a while. We still have a lot of daylight left. Radio in again in two."   
  
About 30 minutes later, the two men came across a large rock that loomed above them like a mountain. There were numerous openings of various sizes and depths that were like crevices or recesses, reminding Jack of nooks and crannies, but none of them were big enough to allow the men to investigate inside them.   
  
Jack's "Danger Will Robinson" alarm was going off. The formation seemed unlike anything he had seen before.  
  
They climbed for a few minutes, Daniel hoping to actually find an artifact, and Jack making the most of a chance to survey the planet's expanse from a higher area using his field glasses.  
  
"Jack, look!" Daniel called, pointing out a slender opening that led inside the rocks themselves. This particular opening was taller and deeper than the others, inviting the inquisitive archaeologist inside.  
  
"Danny, be careful. Don't go in there."  
  
"Jack, this is great. You have to see this," Daniel said, as he disappeared through the narrow passageway.  
  
"Daniel!" Jack hurried to catch up with his sometimes aggravating partner in life. "DANIEL!"  
  
Jack caught up to the younger man just as the end of the long tunnel-like structure was coming into sight. "Danny, how many times have I told you NOT to do what you just did."  
  
Daniel laughed, "Sorry, Jack, but I knew you'd be right behind me, and see, you are!"  
  
Jack shook his head as if to wake himself from a dream as the two reached the other side. Though they were still standing at the peak of a rocky slope, the two were now overlooking a luscious valley of green, with proud, tall trees rising everywhere. The sky was a bright blue, with puffy pure white clouds and warm sunshine all around. The sight had both Jack and Daniel in awe after seeing nothing but gray rocks and overcast skies since gating to the planet a few hours before.   
  
"Wow, it looks like a paradise," Daniel exclaimed with surprise, as they began their descent to the valley floor.   
  
"Careful on the way down. It would be easy to lose your footing .... OUCH!"  
  
"Jack, what happened?" Daniel stopped, turning back towards Jack who was a few feet behind him.  
  
"Nothing, just these rocks are sharp. Jabbed my hand just now. Like I said, be careful."  
  
From what they could see during their trip down the ridge, the only connection to the other side was this one rocky incline. Fifteen minutes later, they reached the base of the jagged rock mountain and stepped into the forest.  
  
"Welcome to my world .... trees, trees, and more trees," Jack said, parodying his earlier comment about rocks.   
  
"The UAV didn't pick up on any of this, Jack. It's like we've walked from one world to another that is completely different. I mean, it's so flat on the other side, but this....the rolling hills, the trees, and wow, there's life here."  
  
Jack smiled, reveling in Daniel's enthusiasm. The young man's eyes were bright with wonder, and his voice full of passion. As much as he complained about "Daniel mode" lectures and presentations, Jack much preferred the Daniel who marveled at the wonders of the universe, gushing forth with enthusiasm about whatever discoveries were unfolding before him. Of course, Jack could never admit he felt that way to his lover, or life would become one miserable lecture after another.   
  
Jack could hear it now, "But Jack, you said you wanted me to be happy and enthusiastic." Jack shuddered at the possibilities, deciding it was best to bring his archaeologist back down to earth.  
  
"Careful, Danny, one of those birds may just gift that hair of yours with a little surprise if you keep looking up like that."  
  
The two laughed, and noticed other animals running about including something resembling a squirrel that rushed by them and ran up one of the giant trees.   
  
"It sure is different from .... what, the other side? ... where the stargate is. Lots of sunshine here, and hey, hear that? Must be a river or stream up ahead," Jack smiled. Rivers meant two things to Jack O'Neill, fishing and skinny dippy with his sexy archaeologist and both thoughts brought a giant grin to the man's face.  
  
Willing himself to think of the mission and not his lover, Jack attempted to redirect his mind.   
  
"Any idea why this planet would have two such distinct environments?"  
  
"I have no idea. Sam will have to run some tests; maybe readjust the settings on the UAV. I've never seen anything like this before."  
  
As they walked, Jack decided it might be a good idea to check in with the other half of SG-1.  
  
"Carter, Teal'c, come in."  
  
Getting no response, Jack tried again, but only static came over the airwaves.  
  
"Jack, the signal is probably being blocked somehow, maybe the passageway ... or something."  
  
Jack nodded, "Yeah, probably. When we get back, we'll contact Hammond and see if we can get an okay to stay another day. Carter will be nearly orgasmic testing this area."  
  
Daniel laughed. "Orgasmic, Jack? I don't think...."  
  
"Ah, yes, Daniel. You know how she gets about solving science puzzles, and you have to admit, the difference between where we were and where we are is a very big puzzle. She'll be playing with all her little toys for hours."  
  
Several minutes later, the two men reached the river and paused, taking in the Eden-like state of their surroundings. Jack checked his watch, a bit leery that they hadn't been able to notify Carter and Teal'c of their location.   
  
"We're going to have to head back soon, Daniel. We have a long walk to the rendezvous with Carter and Teal'c."  
  
Daniel was caught up in the picturesque view and totally ignored Jack's comment about leaving.  
  
"This is amazing, Jack."   
  
"I wonder if there's fish in that river."  
  
"Fishing! Is that all you ever think about, O'Neill?"  
  
Jack laughed, walked towards his lover, and snatched him into his arms. "Jealous, Danny?"   
  
The younger man snarled, "No reason to be, Jack; you never catch anything."   
  
"Wrong, Daniel," Jack growled seductively. "I caught you," and with that, the colonel kissed him soundly, putting an end to their brief banter.  
  
"It's nice here," Daniel sighed into Jack's shoulder once they came up for air.   
  
"It's nice anywhere that you are."  
  
"You're getting sappy, Jack."  
  
"Your point being?"  
  
Daniel laughed. "Nothing. Just making a statement, that's all!" The younger man hadn't moved out of the embrace, nor had Jack released him. They liked holding each other, and it was rare they got to do so away from home.   
  
Jack was enjoying this brief time with Daniel, but the CO in him was beginning to surface again. It wasn't the time or place, unfortunately, for such intimate moments. With a final tender rubbing of his lover's back, and a soft kiss to his hair, Colonel O'Neill returned to duty.   
  
"Time to go, Jackson."  
  
They began their journey back towards the passageway when Daniel's attention was called to a noise that sounded like a cry of distress.  
  
"Jack, do you hear that?"  
  
"Yeah, it sounds like a whine of some kind; probably an animal."  
  
"There! Up in that tree. Look Jack!"  
  
Jack looked up, high up, into a very old tree. On one limb there was a small animal resembling a cat that appeared to be trapped and was crying pitifully. He also noticed the sunshine was disappearing, and the skies were beginning to darken, the puffy white clouds now graying like Jack's hair.  
  
"I wonder what that is. Looks like a cat, but it must be stuck, Jack. Look how he's pulling on his leg."  
  
"I'm sure he ... she... it... whatever will be all right. Let's go."  
  
"No, Jack, we can't just leave it trapped up there like that."  
  
"Daniel...."  
  
Jack knew he had lost the argument before it began. Daniel was already beneath the tree and tracing a mental path to the animal.   
  
"Daniel, I'm not sure this is a good idea."  
  
"We're not leaving him up there like that, Jack. It'll only take a minute. Help me up." Daniel removed his backpack, placing it at the foot of the tree and was waiting for Jack to give him a boost.  
  
Reluctantly and with his internal alarm still blaring, Jack gave his partner a lift into the tree, and Daniel began to climb. The older man couldn't resist saying his thought out loud.   
  
"Go on, Space Monkey, but be careful. Some of those branches may not be very strong. Looks like we're in for a storm, too."  
  
Daniel grinned. "I knew you couldn't resist. Sometimes you are so predictable, Jack."  
  
Carefully, Daniel scaled the tree, finally reaching the branch where the cat-like animal was.   
  
"It's okay," Daniel said calmly, smiling as he very slowly inched his way across the narrow tree limb. It was beginning to drizzle, and he could feel the rain splattering on his hands as he gripped the limb.  
  
Daniel was trying not to be nervous but this particular branch wasn't as big as some of the others, and he could feel it give a little from his weight. The limb was narrowing even more as he got closer to the critter, but Daniel didn't want to think about that.   
  
Finally, Daniel reached his objective. The little animal was frightened, cowering as much as it could in its caged-like state. Daniel could feel the creature trembling, but was was able to soothe the "cat" with his soft voice and tender stroking of its fur.   
  
The animal's left paw was trapped inside a recess in the tree branch, its nails clinging involuntarily to the bark. It took several minutes, but the scientist was finally able to dislodge the paw and was happy to note there was no real injury to the "cat".  
  
Suddenly, thunder boomed overhead. Startled, the small animal darted away from Daniel, down the tree and off into the bush.  
  
"Daniel, get down from there ... NOW."   
  
"Coming, Jack," Daniel shouted down towards the ground.  
  
The rain had begun in earnest. In just a few minutes, this part of the planet had gone from a brilliant sunshine to a dark, rainy gloom. The wind was picking up, too. Both men were already drenched, and Daniel was still working his way down the old tree, hampered by slippery moss on the limbs.  
  
"Geez, Danny," Jack said silently, adding a prayer-like "be careful" as he watched his lover move gently back along the much-too-thin limb of the tree in front of him. It was taking Daniel too long to get out of the tree, and Jack was fidgeting with worry.   
  
Daniel was only half-way down his climb as the gusting winds strengthened, blowing debris through the valley; branches were flailing like whips, cracking as they blew back and forth. If it weren't such a serious situation, Jack would have laughed that the moving branches sounded like Rice Krispies, "snap, crackle and pop".  
  
The darkened skies exploded with gigantic bolts of lightning. Another loud roar, and then Jack's nightmare happened.  
  
"DANIEL," Jack yelled to no avail. The winds were now so strong that Daniel couldn't hear Jack's shout. The ancient tree's limbs were severing, and with one mighty gust, the branch on which Daniel was currently perched was shaken from its parent.   
  
Daniel frantically tried to latch on to another limb, but it broke as he reached for it. The grabbing motion sent him lunging into another a branch, his head thrown against it like a hockey stick hitting a puck. Daniel went crashing to the ground, his limp body twisting through the air as his abdomen was jostled and jarred by the jagged edges of breaking branches.   
  
Jack watched in horror, fighting the increasingly gusting winds as he dodged falling bits of bark and limbs from the trees. His heart had stopped when he saw Daniel's impact with the tree, his hands perspiring with fear, flinching his fingers as witnessed his lover's tumble to the dampening earth.  
  
"Danny," Jack cried, running to where his precious archaeologist lay. Kneeling down, Jack repeated, "Danny?". Jack was still fighting the winds not to fall over, the rain beating on their bodies. Hail began plummeting from the skies.   
  
Daniel had landed face down, his hands near his head, and Jack hesitated briefly before turning him over, fearful of a spinal injury. Daniel had a nasty-looking gash at the top of his forehead, about two inches long. His blood was seeping down slowly like a draining bottle of Heinz Ketchup. His right eye was swelling. Jack saw several minor cuts on his lover's face and hands, and having seen Daniel hitting several tree limbs on the way down, Jack figured he probably had broken a rib or two.   
  
  
  
Jack looked briefly to survey their surroundings more closely. He needed to get Daniel out of the area. The old tree was shifting, its limbs breaking lose one by one with the increasing winds, like a skyscraper collapsing, floor after floor.   
  
The colonel continued to examine his lover. Reaching into his pack, he pulled out a bandage, wrapping it around Daniel's head wound. He couldn't tell if there were internal injuries, nor did he have time to do more than he had.   
  
More crashing sounds drew Jack's attention. Looking to his right, Jack's pulse quickened. One giant tree had fallen, crashing into its neighbor, and it too had collapsed, pushing into a tree next to it. One after another, tree after tree collapsing, "like dominoes", Jack thought.  
  
The wind was deafening, and Jack barely heard the all-too-soft voice of his lover, calling out to him.  
  
"J'ck?"   
  
"Hold on, Love. We need to get out of here."  
  
As Jack worked out his game plan, a new round of thunder boomed in the distance as lightning danced through the skies; both he and Daniel were soaked, water running down their skin. A blizzard of zaps and jolts surrounded them, the wind threatening to push them into rolling tumbleweeds. And the hail increased in size and number.   
  
Jack was hit sharply in the middle of his back by a one-inch ball of icy pellet, prompting more frustrated obscenities to leave his mouth.   
  
As Jack prepared to move Daniel, he heard a noise over head, and looked up just in time to see yet another limb coming loose from the battered tree they were nearest to. Realizing the dangling appendage was about to fall, Jack threw himself over his linguist.  
  
"J'ck, don't," Daniel tried to argue as his Jack armor hovered, but Jack held his position, shielding the scientist, covering as much of Daniel's head and torso as possible.   
  
The branch hit the colonel solidly near the top of his left shoulder, and he couldn't hold back the cry of pain. With an anguishing push upward, the branch rolled off to the side, the wind helping the movement. Jack's shoulder ached from the effort, but he was glad that the falling limb hadn't done more damage.  
  
As he sat up and removed himself from his lover's injured body, Jack saw his radio fall onto Daniel's chest. "Oh, for crying out loud, what else can go wrong?" The radio was broken, and Jack realized for the first time that Daniel's had been crushed when he fell from the tree.   
  
"Danny, are you all right?," Jack asked, shoving aside the knowledge they now had no way of contacting Sam and Teal'c.  
  
Jack knew it was stupid question. Daniel wasn't all right. Blood was still freshly staining the bandage Jack had placed on the head wound; his other cuts hadn't yet been cleaned, and hypothermia was becoming more of a possibility the longer the two were in the storm.   
  
"J'ck, are you hurt?" The question was wheezed as Daniel labored to breathe. He tried to look at Jack, but had a hard time focusing. "Where'd the truck go?" he thought to himself, sure an 18-wheeler had run over him.   
  
"I'm okay, just banged up my shoulder a little bit. Nothing to worry about."  
  
Jack had lied. He was worried, and whatever damage was done to his own body by the fallen branch hurt more than he cared to admit. They were stranded with no way to call for help. On top of that, the elements were making it difficult to see and hear.   
  
They were still quite a way from the passageway, and the storm had shown no signs of letting up; even if the tunnel had been close, Jack was certain that with his injured shoulder, he wouldn't be able to carry Daniel up the sharp rise. In addition, the fallen trees were blocking the path they had originally used. They'd have to find a way to go around, and that meant a longer, harder trip.  
  
Jack needed to get Daniel out of the rain, away from the chance of further injury from the hail, the wind and crackling tree branches. A part of Jack, that inner sanctum where his deepest fears and doubts resided, felt helpless, but his survival skills were strong and once again, the colonel took charge, calling upon his training and experiences to protect his lover.  
  
Surveying the perimeter, Jack couldn't see any place of shelter. All he saw were trees, and he noticed with alarm that many of the old giants were swaying with great fragility at the whims of the winds.   
  
Thunder again sounded. The rain was pouring down even harder than before, small pieces of hail falling into both men. Jack remembered a couple of openings near the base of the incline at the edge of the valley where they had entered the forest-like area. If he could get Daniel there, they could wait for help to arrive.  
  
"Help, right," Jack mocked himself. He knew Sam and Teal'c would be looking, but the odds of them finding the passageway leading to the valley were slim.   
  
More lightning decorated the sky to the roar of the thunder and the cocophony of the trees and winds.   
  
"Okay, Daniel, we're going to move now. I need you to help me as much as you can."  
  
"J'ck, go."  
  
"Daniel, shut up." Jack had no time to coddle the love of his life, and he had no intention of wasting precious time debating the undebatable so putting his game face on, Jack became the tough as nails colonel, silencing his lover with his sharp tone, ignoring Daniel's objections and concentrating on getting them both the heck out of Dodge.  
  
Jack's shoulder hurt like Hades but he couldn't think about that. He got Daniel up, supporting him almost completely. Jack tried to pick up Daniel's pack, but the pain in his shoulder was too great. It was more important to get Daniel to safety, so reluctantly, Jack let the pack fall to the ground. Jack's pack would have to last them both until they were rescued. Together, the two men made their way towards the edge of the valley where Jack hoped the openings would provide a suitable shelter.   
  
It took quite a while, and Daniel was practically dead weight, but they finally reached the opening to a cave. Out of the rain and wind at last, Jack gently placed his injured lover on the floor. Jack gingerly removed his pack and his jacket, folding the wet coat into a roll and placing it under Daniel's head.   
  
Pulling out the medical supplies, Jack did his best to clean the cuts, dressing the bigger ones with band-aids. Daniel's head wound was still bleeding slightly, and Jack was specifically worried about that, but kept focused on doing all he could to help his best friend.  
  
"Danny, we need to get these wet clothes off."  
  
"Trying to take 'vantage of me, J'ck?", Daniel asked, his attempt at humor strained by his weakened voice and labored breaths.  
  
"Always, Love," Jack replied, trying to sound reassuring.  
  
As gingerly as possible, Jack removed Daniel's clothes. He tried to hold back revealing his own pain from his movements, not wanting to alarm Daniel more than he already was. The young man had very little strength left after their walk to the cave, so it was up to SG-1's CO to do most of the work. Once he had Daniel stripped, he pulled out the thermal blanket from his pack and wrapped it around his lover's chilling body.  
  
"Hey Danny?"  
  
"Hmm?"  
  
"I'm sorry I told you to shut up back there; I just....we needed to get out of there and I wasn't going to leave you. You know that, Danny."  
  
"I'm sorry, J'ck. My fault 'gain."  
  
Jack placed his hand on his lover's cheek and smiled. "No, Love, it's not your fault. You were saving a life, Danny, and there's nothing wrong with that. There was no way you could know the weather would change so quickly here. I didn't see it coming either, so stop the blame thing right now. Okay?"  
  
"'K. Head hurts, J'ck," Daniel gasped as Jack touched his stomach.  
  
"I know, and sorry, Danny. Feels like you may have a couple of broken ribs, and you have a nasty cut on your head, probably a concussion. I think we need to make sure you stay awake until they find us."  
  
"Sl'py, J'ck. Wanna sl'p."  
  
"No, Danny, you can't, not right now."  
  
"C'n't stay 'wake."  
  
"Oh, yes you can, and you will," Jack said with all the command tone he could muster.  
  
"Try'ng to give me ord'rs, J'ck?"  
  
"Yeah, and you are going to obey this one to the letter, Dr. Jackson, you got that?"  
  
"Hmm" was all the young man could utter, blinking his eyes as he tried to focus on the colonel.  
  
Jack finally stripped off his own clothes. He and Daniel were now naked except for boxers. "Good thing we didn't go commando," Jack tried to laugh. Daniel responded with a soft sounding chuckle.  
  
Letting the young man rest for a few moments, Jack took a better look around their shelter. There wasn't much, the cave itself not being very big, but Jack located some straw and shavings. The pain in his shoulder jarred him as he leaned down to pick up the few pieces of wood he could find, but it was enough to start a small fire.   
  
Jack realized that once the rain lessened, he would have to leave the cave to find more wood. On the positive side, with all the falling trees and snapped branches, finding wood wouldn't be a problem, but having it dry enough to use might be. On the negative side, however, leaving Daniel even for a few minutes frightened Jack. Daniel had to stay awake.  
  
Reminded of the need for warmth as he watched Daniel shiver, Jack spooned up against his lover, covering as much of the young man as possible without aggravating his injuries, and making sure the blanket was as snug as possible around the archaeologist.   
  
"Hi J'ck", Daniel sloppily said with a small smile.  
  
"Hi yourself." Jack couldn't stop himself from placing a short kiss on his lover's cheek. He held the man as tight as he could, stroking his arms and abdomen tenderly to bring warmth to the man he loved more than life itself.  
  
Jack saw Daniel close his eyes.  
  
"No can do, Danny. I can't let you sleep. Open your eyes, Danny."  
  
"Sl'py. C'n't."  
  
Jack was desperate. He needed to get Daniel focused on something other than sleep. His partner had a mind that once started rarely stopped for anything, including sleep. Jack figured if he could distract Daniel, they might have a chance.  
  
"Danny, this lost city business, I don't get it. How does an entire civilization lose a city?"  
  
"You're smarter than that, J'ck." Daniel knew Jack wanted him to talk.  
  
"So humor me. How do you lose a city?"  
  
"Done lots, J'ck, ev'n Col'rado."  
  
"If it's lost, how do you know it's in Colorado?"  
  
"'cause they found it."  
  
Jack laughed. "Well, it's news to me. When did they find this place?"  
  
"I think 'twas late 1800's. Cowboys looking for cattle in a cany'n saw a cave that looked like a p'lace."  
  
Jack listened, recognizing Daniel was entering full lecture mode, and this was one time he wasn't going to try and quiet him. Daniel was having a hard time breathing, though, a result of the ribs Jack figured.  
  
"....It was the lost city of Mesa Verde we now call Cliff Palace... means "Green Table" in Spanish ... is in Col'rado that is flat tableland ...top is 'bout 2,000 feet higher than the s'rounding land."  
  
Daniel took a deep breath, let our a painful moan as he gasped slightly as if fighting for breath, and closed his eyes but continued to talk, picking up steam with each word as his lecture progressed. As he did, Jack continued to try and warm him with tender strokes, being mindful of the young man's bruising abdomen.  
  
"Arch'ol'gists think the native Americans who built Cliff Palace arrived in Mesa Verde as early as 1 A.D. They apparently lived a quiet and peaceful life on the Mesa tops until about 1200 A.D. when suddenly they abandoned their towns and built new ones in caves on the cliff faces.  
  
"Cliff Palace has over 200 rooms and some parts are three stories high. It probably housed around 400 people. They lived in the cave, but commuted to the Mesa top to work their agricultural fields.  
  
"Around 1280, though, Ind'ns sud'nly abandoned their cliff dwellings and moved away.... no sign that they were forced out by war..."  
  
Daniel's voice was getting softer and slurring again off and on. Jack could tell talking was a bit painful for him because of the ribs, but Daniel needed to stay awake, so Jack gave him a slight nudge. "So why did they leave?"  
  
"Drought....drought hit Mesa around 1276 ...last.... lasted 24 years ... affected food supply ..... forced to move. They 'par'ntly went south and mixed with the Pueblo Indians...."  
  
Daniel's last words were more labored. He coughed, then his stomach convulsed in an attempt to vomit, but there was nothing to be expelled from his ailing body. The violent motions caused Daniel to sob briefly at the intensity of the pain. Jack calmed his lover, pulling him back into the safety of his embrace as they lay on the cave floor.  
  
"It's okay, Danny. I've got you."  
  
Daniel refused to give in to the turmoil of his body, and ignored the pause from his nausea to continue his lecture.  
  
"In'ans still live there, J'ck. Many items were still in the rooms at Cliff Palace and 'tis likely res'dents intended to return at the end of the drought. They n'ver came back, though, and all that is left of their culture is ...."  
  
Jack listened for a while longer, but Daniel was tiring, exhausted from the activity of simply speaking, and Jack knew he would have to try a different tactic, so when Daniel stopped his dissertation the next time, Jack jumped in.  
  
"Let's fix your bandage, Danny", the older man suggested, seeing that the original one he had placed around the skull was showing the strain of wetness, dirt from their wind-blown walk, and blood from his lover's head wound. Jack was concerned about the possibility of infection and wished he could change the bandage, but he knew the risk of doing so was greater. If he removed the saturated cloth, Daniel could bleed even more from the loss of the pressure to the head wound.  
  
"Oh, for...", Jack couldn't hold back his anguish from his too-quick movement to get the bandages. He swore silently to himself, determined to take care of Daniel and not let his own pain interfere. He worked as rapidly as possible, reinforcing the bandage around Daniel's head.  
  
Jack also took the opportunity to do another exam of his partner, making sure he hadn't missed anything, checking his arms and legs for any signs of broken bones. He wished they had more bandages to wrap Daniel's ribs, but what little they had, Jack decided, needed to be saved for Daniel's head wound. Jack considered ripping his tee shirt into bandages, but it was still soaked, and once again feeling a stab of pain when he moved, he wasn't sure he had the strength to tear the fabric. They were in a real bind, stranded in what seemed like a paradise lost to the colonel.  
  
Jack stood up and walked to the edge of the cave. The rain had stopped, and soon, he would have to leave Daniel to get more wood to keep the dimming fire burning. The pain still ached sharply within him, but Jack renewed his resolve not to be hampered by his shoulder. "Pain don't hurt," Jack said to himself over and over. He heard that phrase in a movie once, and thought it was crap, but right now, it was going to be his silent mantra.  
  
Jack hadn't realized he had stood facing the storm at the cave's entrance so long, but when he returned to Daniel, Jack's pulse raced, seeing Daniel had fallen asleep.  
  
"DANNY!" Jack leaned down and shook his lover's face,making sharp, rapid motions with his hands to jar awake his better half. "DANIEL!"  
  
"Whaaa?", it was a faint word from Daniel's lips, and Jack released a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. Jack closed his eyes for a moment, and took a few calming breaths as he got his anxiety under control. Daniel needed him to be in charge, calm, not shaking like a leaf blown in the wind.  
  
"Where are we, J'ck?", Daniel asked in a state of confusion, not helping Jack's plundering emotions.   
  
"We're on P2Y-333, stuck in a cave, remember? You saved that cat thing and fell."  
  
"Oh, yeah. How's your sho'der?"  
  
"It's fine. Here, Danny, let's sit up for a while," Jack urged, once again in control of his nerves as he pulled his lover up to sit next to him against the wall of the small cave. The colonel helped Daniel take a couple of Tylenol and then maneuvered him so that Daniel was snug against his healthy shoulder. Jack was relieved that Daniel's breathing seemed a little easier than it was lying down.  
  
Jack took a look at his injured soul mate, cataloging the cuts, new bruises, and both the dried and fresh blood. Daniel's hair was mussed from the bandage and the rain of earlier, and he was tired, but to Jack, what he saw was perfection. He placed a kiss on Daniel's forehead and laughed softly.  
  
"What's so fun'y, J'ck?"  
  
"Just thinking how cute you are, Dannyboy, even now."  
  
"Am not cute."  
  
"Oh, yes you are, as a button even."  
  
"Not."  
  
"Too!"  
  
"Not."  
  
Jack laughed louder this time. "Face the facts, Love, cute is cute and you, Dr. Daniel Jackson, multiple PHD, are most definitely cute."  
  
"Jaaaaack."  
  
Another laugh and kiss to Daniel's forehead as Jack rubbed the young man's arm, and then he added, "You can't fight your destiny, Daniel, and you're definitely part of the Hall of Fame of Cute!"  
  
Daniel did his best to grumble. "J'st name me one time, J'ck, when I was cute, and not now 'cause I'm not cute, J'ck."  
  
Jack smiled at his lover's defiance. Daniel was definitely awake and into their banter.  
  
"Easy to do, Plant Boy; how about when you did that little dance on the planet with those naked guys; that was most certainly cute, not to mention sexy and made me want to take you right there on the spot."  
  
"If I h'd 'en'rgy, J'ck, I'd hit you."  
  
Another laugh. "No, you wouldn't, and besides, you know that was cute, doing that little ... Danny dance! Sexy, hot, and cute, cute cute! Your face was classic, Daniel. We talked about that when you did your computer diary recently, remember?"  
  
"M'mm. You're fa'lt, though!"  
  
"Mine? And just who called who condescending?"  
  
"J'ck" **(You know you can be sometimes.)**  
  
"Daniel?" **(Yeah, I know, but you still love me.)**  
  
"Hmm. J'ck?" **(Got me there, I do love you, but Jack, my head hurts.)**  
  
"I know, Love," Jack uttered quietly, breaking their silent telepathic communication, still gently caressing his lover's body.   
  
"You're cute, too, J'ck."  
  
"Nice try, Daniel, but I'm just a worn down colonel with the bad knees to prove it."  
  
"Thor, sys'm lords."  
  
Jack was confused. "Danny, you okay?" Jack again realized it was a dumb question, considering the injuries Daniel had, but the colonel was having a hard time making the connection from cute to system lords."  
  
"Meet'ng, Yu, Nirr'ti, Cr'nos walked out. Dress blues, lost, bea't'ful eyes, v'ry confused. You cute, J'ck, v'ry cute. I wanted Thor to go home so we could...you know."  
  
Jack laughed at Daniel's words, remembering their meeting with the representatives of the system lords when the Asgard had tried to make Earth a protected planet.   
  
"Being cute was the last thing on my mind that day."  
  
"But you were, J'ck. You were cute. Love you in dress blues." Daniel stopped and tried to laugh as much as his weakened condition would allow.  
  
"Enough with the cute already."  
  
"You start'd it."  
  
"Bite me."  
  
"Wish I co'd."  
  
"Ah, Danny, I love you, and we're going to get out of here, soon, and then you can bite me or do whatever you want to do to this old body, okay?"  
  
"K, J'ck," Daniel responded almost as a whisper.  
  
"Danny, I need to get us some wood to keep this fire going. It's almost out."   
  
With great care, Jack removed his healthy arm from around Daniel's shoulder, and made sure Daniel was as secure as possible against the cave wall. Finding his clothes, Jack got dressed as Daniel watched, not saying anything but displaying a small smile of want and desire.  
  
Once dressed, Jack kneeled down, a jab of pain flowing through the colonel's shoulder as he did so. Wanting to make eye contact with Daniel, Jack placed the palm of his right hand on Daniel's face, urging the young man to look into his eyes. The storm had stopped, their fire was dying, and Jack had managed to get Daniel as alert as possible. It was as good as time as any to seek out more wood for the campfire.   
  
"I'll be right back, Daniel, but this is important. You have to stay awake. Daniel, you cannot go to sleep. Do you understand?"  
  
"Stay 'wake. No sleeeeeee...."  
  
"Daniel, this is important. I'll just be gone a couple of minutes, okay? Stay awake, Daniel. Understand?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
Jack kissed the man gently and hurried out towards the drying forest. He was worried that even if he did find something to use for firewood that it wouldn't be dry enough and wouldn't burn.   
  
As he searched for wood, Jack was amazed at how bright the skies were again. While the greenery was still wet, and the ground damp, there was no trace in the sky of darkness, and when he picked up his first solid piece of wood, Jack was stunned to feel it was completely dry to the touch.   
  
Whatever strangeness caused the diversity between the rock portion of the planet and the valley where he now was, must also account for the unique contrast of the wet greenery and the dry wood. Jack was confused as he examined the small log, but his thoughts were halted by a knife-like stab of pain he felt when he tried to hold the log with his left arm.   
  
"Oh, for crying out loud," Jack bellowed, almost dropping the log. "That hurts worse than ... " Jack stopped, remembering that he was talking to no one but the trees. He shook his head, and continued his task.  
  
It was difficult to move with the pain intensifying, and the action of picking up the kindling wasn't helping. And Jack was exhausted. Keeping Daniel awake meant Jack couldn't rest either. Part of Jack O'Neill wondered if he could go on and just how he would manage to collect and carry enough to do any good. Time was of the essence and catapulted Jack's will to continue.  
  
Whenever Jack began to lose his conviction that he would succeed, one thing kept him going, giving him the strength and resolve to move forward: Daniel. When it began to be too much, too heavy, too painful, all Jack had to do was picture his lover, and it was more than enough to motivate him to complete his task.  
  
It took longer than he wanted, and when Jack returned to the cave, he was afraid he had taken too long. Jack's heart pounded as he saw Daniel sagging against the cave wall, eyes closed.   
  
"DANIEL," he shouted to try to get his lover's attention.  
  
"D'n't shout, J'ck. J'st r'st'ng."  
  
Jack lowered his fire makings to the ground and hurried over to Daniel, who slowly opened his eyes.   
  
"I'm sorry, Love; I was just..."  
  
"Scared?"  
  
Jack again placed his hand on Daniel's cheek, caressing it. He smiled, leaned in and kissed the soft lips of his archaeologist. "Yeah, scared. I'm sort of used to you, you know. Would be miserable without you. I wouldn't have anyone to ...."  
  
"'noy?"  
  
Jack chuckled, "yeah, annoy, or do this to." Another kiss, this one more possessive than the last, more a message to the younger man that Jack needed him, wanted him, and he had better stay awake and alive.  
  
Daniel smiled as Jack set about to build up the fire, telling Daniel his discovery about how dry everything was outside as he did so. Next, Jack examined Daniel's removed BDU's and decided they were dry enough to give his companion some much needed warmth.  
  
"C'mon, Danny, let's put these back on."  
  
"Thought you were gonna take 'vantage of me, J'ck."  
  
"Oh, I am, just as soon as we get you home and back to bed, our bed. Then, you'll be putty in my hands," Jack said seductively, backing it up with the sexiest smirk he could manage as he dressed his ailing lover.   
  
Task accomplished, and the fire stoked, Jack once again sat down next to Daniel, grimacing in pain as his shoulder bumped against the wall. Jack pulled Daniel into him, adding more warmth and trying to reassure him all would be well.  
  
"J'ck, I know you'll argue but you sh'd go, J'ck; find Sam, Teal.... get help. They won't find us if you...."  
  
"Sure they will. We just need to hang on for a while longer."  
  
"J'ck." **(Don't lie to me, Jack.)**  
  
Knowing Daniel wouldn't give up on this topic, Jack acted to end it rapidly. He wasn't going to leave him, so why let his lover get agitated over something that wasn't going to happen.  
  
"Danny, let's just get this over with and put all the cards out on the table, and then we'll go back to talking about how cute you are."  
  
"Am not."  
  
"Are too!"  
  
"Not, J'ck."  
  
"Are too, Danny, from the tips of your toes to the top of your head, and I love every cute millimeter of you, too."  
  
"St'p ch'g'ng the sub'jt."   
  
Jack was distressed at Daniel's slurring speech as the young man struggled to stay awake. Jack himself was tired, on the verge of numbing from the exhaustion, but he couldn't give in, not if he wanted to get his linguist home alive.  
  
"Listen, Daniel. You have a head injury; it's not pretty, even if you are cute. You're still bleeding a little, and are probably concussed. You've got broken ribs, and cuts and bruises all over your sweet body that need watching to stay off infection. And did I mention you're going to have quite a shiner on your right eye?  
  
We're both cold, and you've got a slight fever. Put it all together, We both know that if I walk out of here right now, you'll be asleep in two minutes. You need to stay awake, and I'm going to make sure you do that by...."  
  
"'noy'ng me?"  
  
The colonel laughed, "yes, if that's what it takes. I'll do whatever I have to do to get us both out of here in one piece. Carter and Teal'c have to be close. We missed the check in; they knew where we were before we reached that passageway. They'll find it when they come looking."  
  
"J'ck, it was a fluke that I found it. H've go, J'ck. Pl's."  
  
"No, Danny. Look, I would have a hard time making that climb up the incline to get back to the passageway even if I went alone. My... shoulder is ..."  
  
Jack paused. He never liked talking about his own pain, but he needed to put an end to a conversation that was only going to end one way, and that was his way. Jack probably could make it up the rise alone, but he wasn't about to admit that to his injured friend, and so he embellished a bit.  
  
"...the shoulder is very painful, Danny; whenever I try to move too much it ....jabs me. I wouldn't have the strength or grip to get out of this valley, and no way could I carry you. Bottom line, " Jack quieted his speech a bit, "....Danny, the bottom line is I'm not about to leave you alone because I love you, and truth is, you couldn't or wouldn't leave me if our places were reversed."  
  
Jack felt Daniel tense a bit as he continued, still quiet, but very firmly, "Admit it, Danny, if I was the one with my head cracked and your shoulder felt like it was about to fall off, would you leave me behind? Would you?"  
  
"Jack..." It was the strongest and firmest sounding version of his name that the colonel had heard from the injured man since they'd been stuck this side of paradise.  
  
"Right. I didn't think so. Now, we're clear on this. I'm not leaving you. We'll do what we can to stay warm, and before you know it, Carter and Teal'c will come save the day."  
  
"But, J'ck." **(Jack, please. I want you to be safe; I want you ... to live.)  
  
"Daniel." **(End of subject. You've lost the argument. Stop now.)**  
  
"J'ck?" **(Will you listen to me for a minute?)**  
  
"What, Daniel?" **(So help me, Daniel, I am NOT leaving you here alone.)**  
  
"I love you, J'ck."   
  
Jack's heart melted, dissolving into mush. He couldn't help it, a tear escaped from his eye. More were threatening to follow. He was so afraid for this man who represented everything that was good and worthwhile in his life. If he lost Daniel, there would be nothing left. Why Daniel loved him would always be a mystery to Jack O'Neill, but he felt blessed.   
  
More tears found their way down the older man's face, a sign of his exhaustion, unable to fully hold back his emotions. "This is not the time and place for this," Jack mentally chided himself, swearing a string of silent obscenities that were expressed only by a verbal sniff.  
  
Daniel felt a change in Jack's breathing and heard what he was sure was a sniffle. He forced himself to look up at the man who had already saved his life once that day. He saw the not-so-hardened colonel's eyes, saw the tears.   
  
Daniel didn't have a lot of energy, but his heart did the work for him, willing his right arm to reach up to his lover's face. Daniel gave a little smile, brushing back his colonel's tears with his fingers, then pulled him in a for an all-too-short kiss and a whispered, "You're my hero, Jack. You always think of something, and you will now, too. We'll....be okay. Sam and Teal'c will find us."  
  
Daniel had spoken calmly, clearly, and reassuredly and it zapped what little reserve of energy he had stored. He laid his head on his colonel's healthy shoulder, still drying the falling tears.  
  
"It'll be 'k, J'ck. Love you."  
  
Jack knew he had to pull himself together. He was supposed to be taking care of Daniel, not the other way around. It hurt like heck, but he pulled his left hand up to grab Daniel's hand, lifted it towards him and kissed the young man's palm, and then moved their hands back down to their waists, but not letting go just yet. Jack always liked holding the hand of his linguist.  
  
"You're right, Danny. We will be okay, both of us. Just a little longer now, and I love you, too, Space Monkey."  
  
Jack almost lost it again, his use of his favorite nickname for Daniel bringing to mind another time when Daniel had died aboard Apophis's ship, but Jack threw his head back as if to rebuff his weakness of the heart. He had to keep it together. He felt Daniel's breathing change, and the colonel was snapped back to reality, to the need of keeping his lover awake.  
  
"Hey Danny, I'll give you that meeting with Thor and the snakes, but name me one other time when I was cute. I dare ya."  
  
"Six'y nine"  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"1969, w'rk'ng on bus, le'th'r j'ket, butt sticking out. Cute, J'ck, v'ry cute."  
  
"My butt, Daniel?"  
  
Laughter was heard from his linguist, prompting Jack to snicker himself. "You are sick, Jackson, to think my butt is cute."  
  
"Like yer butt, J'ck. Is mine."  
  
Jack laughed, "No, Daniel, your butt isn't cute, it's sexy, and it's mine, all mine."  
  
"No, J'ck, meant yer butt is mine, not is my butt cute."  
  
"Oh, sorry."  
  
"S'k."  
  
"You realize you had to go back almost 25 years to find a cute me, don'tcha?"  
  
Another soft laugh emerged from the linguist, but he didn't say anything, and that concerned Jack.  
  
"Time to eat, Danny, and don't even try to tell me you're not hungry. Argument over before you even do one "but, Jack", understand?"  
  
"Yes, J'ck, but..."  
  
Daniel's argument was cut off by a piece of a nutrition bar stuffed in his mouth. He gave it a valiant effort, but he could only manage to eat half the bar. Jack knew his linguist had tried his best, but even in the healthiest times, Daniel was not a big eater, and when he was sick, it was near impossible to keep him fed without IV's and such.  
  
Jack checked Daniel's bandage again. He was still bleeding some, but not as much as before. Still, the white wrap was stained from blood and sweat, so one more time, Jack reinforced the bandage, afraid to remove the dirtied material already there for fear of undoing any clotting that may be preventing his lover from bleeding even more.  
  
Jack also gave Daniel some Tylenol. He considered Morphine, but the laceration on Daniel's forehead worried the colonel. He feared doing more damage from giving his lover the medication than trying to go without. Daniel had a rising temperature now, adding to the colonel's concern. There was nothing he could do but try to comfort Daniel, and pray for his teammates to find them soon.   
  
Jack could sense Daniel had been uncomfortable earlier sitting against the hard wall, so he shuffled their positions a bit, putting himself against the wall, and having Daniel sit between his legs so he could lie back into him, Jack serving as a loving pillow. Jack placed the thermal blanket over Daniel's legs.  
  
Jack liked embracing Daniel in this way. His shoulder still hurt, but having his lover against him felt like having a warm, soothing blanket shielding him. Jack's right arm was wrapped around the younger man, gently caressing the man's stomach. Jack's chin leaned against the side of his lover's silky hair, and he occasionally couldn't resist kissing the man. Enjoying the sensation of his lover against him, Jack wished they were in front of their fireplace at home instead of in some cold cave on P2Y-333. "You're a sap, O'Neill," he said to himself.  
  
"Okay, Dr. Jackson," Jack began, trying to sound uplifting, wanting to keep his lover awake and thinking of good things, "name me one other time when I was, dare I say it, cute."  
  
"Hmmm," Daniel thought and then laughed.   
  
"What? C'mon, Daniel, spill!"  
  
"When we switched bodies."  
  
"Ah, Ma'chello. So are you saying Teal'c is cute, since I was in his body?"  
  
"No, J'ck, when Sam switched us. I was you, and..."  
  
Jack laughed, "Oh, so you're saying I was cute because I was in your body, Dr. Jackson?"  
  
"Not 'rg'ng, J'ck. Yer the one who said I was cute."  
  
"And you are, Danny, cute and sexy and beautiful and absolutely perfect in practically every way."  
  
"Not M'ry Poppins, J'ck."  
  
"Thank goodness for that. I'd hate to have to go running after you when you went flying away with your umbrella, especially here in this windy paradise."  
  
"J'ck, yer b'ng silly."  
  
"No, am I? I thought I was being serious."  
  
"That's a good one. J'ck O'Neill b'ng sr'us."  
  
"Hey, I can be serious."  
  
"Yeahsrb'tcha. That's why you rode a bike in the SGC."  
  
"We were in a time loop, Daniel. I was ... bored."  
  
"Could have pla'd with me. Left me w'rk'ng while you went bike rid'ng."  
  
"Since when do you like riding a bike?"  
  
"Co'lge. Rode bike all the time. You n'ver took me bike ri'ng, J'ck. You d'n't love me."  
  
Daniel tried to let out a hurt whine. Jack laughed and ruffled his hair slightly.  
  
"Want some cheese with that whine, Dannyboy?"  
  
"Yes, pl'se, and crack'rs, too."  
  
Both laughed, and then fell into a contented silence for a few minutes, thinking private thoughts about each other and their love. Jack was still caressing his lover's abdomen in gentle circling motions, staying clear of the injured rib areas, but then Daniel took his hands and grabbed a hold of Jack's hand and brought it up to his lips and kissed the palm.   
  
The two often did this small act of affection that sometimes said more than their words could, or than their bodies were able when they were in situations where they couldn't express their love in more physical terms.   
  
Daniel lowered his hands back to his waist, not releasing Jack's hand. Instead, he continued to hold it, stroking it with the little energy he had. He needed to do this, to do something with his body that said "I love you" when words seemed to be not enough.  
  
Jack felt Daniel's fevering body tense suddenly. His lover was sweating more but it was too soon for more Tylenol. Jack's silent observances were broken when Daniel spoke again.   
  
"Where are we, J'ck?. What hap'n'd?. Hurts, J'ck." It was difficult to understand Daniel's words, his shattering teeth louder than the spoken questions.  
  
Jack spoke as reassuredly as possible. "We're in a cave, Babe. We took shelter here when the storm hit. You were hurt when a tree branch broke and you fell, but everything is going to be all right. Carter and Teal'c will be here soon, and until they come, we get to snuggle," Jack paused to kiss his lover's hair. "I'm here, Daniel. The calvary will be here soon."  
  
Daniel didn't say anything except for a murmured "Okay." They continued to sit in their silence a while longer, Jack constantly caressing his partner and checking to make sure he wasn't sleeping.   
  
A while later, Daniel shifted slightly so he could nuzzle a bit more into Jack's shoulder and look up to face him without too much difficulty.  
  
"What is it, Love?"  
  
"T'gether, always?"  
  
"Always, Danny. You know that. Nothing, no one, separates us, not ever. Besides, I still don't believe you want this old saggy colonel. If you weren't around, who'd want me?"  
  
Daniel thought. Jack watched as he saw his lover's bruised face scrunch a little, and Jack winced when he saw Daniel flinch from a flash of pain. Daniel was still holding Jack's hand and didn't appear to have any intention of letting go. Then, Daniel smiled.  
  
"Freya. She likes you, J'ck."  
  
"Oh, for crying out loud, Daniel, she's a snake."  
  
"She's the host, and she likes you."  
  
"Yeah, well the snake likes you, and that makes it a conflict of interest."  
  
"We could share."  
  
"Daniel, I'm going to wash your mouth out with soap if you keep saying things like that."  
  
"Be hon'st, J'ck. You liked her at first."  
  
"Me? You were the one flirting, Daniel."  
  
"Did not."  
  
"Did too."  
  
"Not."  
  
"Too."  
  
"Too"  
  
"No.......t. Daniel!"  
  
"S'ry, J'ck, too tir'd to bic'r.   
  
Daniel's grip on Jack's hand had loosened, and Jack began his caress of his archaeologist's upper body again.   
  
"It is too bad we don't have those armbands about now; they'd come in handy."  
  
There was no response from Daniel. Jack looked carefully and realized the young man's were closed. Panic engulfed the colonel as he tried to prod his lover awake.  
  
"Danny. C'mon. I'm so sorry, Danny, but I can't let you sleep. Wake up, Daniel." Jack raised his hand to the linguist's face, shaking slightly until Daniel let out a slight gasp.  
  
"J'ck?"  
  
"You went to sleep, Daniel," Jack spoke softly into his lover's hair, before beginning a new round of silly conversation designed to keep his soul mate alive.  
  
More time passed. Jack changed some of the band-aids he had used on Daniel's smaller cuts from the fall down the tree, gave him more Tylenol, fed him the other half of the nutrition bar which Daniel barely kept down, and did his best to keep the love of his life entertained and talking. Jack himself was so tired, but he couldn't stop because Daniel's life was on the line. Help would arrive soon; it had to.   
  
Daniel's fever had risen, and he was shivering like a scared animal, unable to keep warm. The scientist was sweating profusely, his skin looking like plastic from its paleness.  
  
"Fish," Daniel said suddenly, startling the colonel.  
  
"Fish?"  
  
"J'ck, will you keep my fish?"  
  
"Daniel, our fish, and they are your responsibility."  
  
"Fish perty," the young man laughed weakly.  
  
"Yes, Daniel they are."  
  
"D'n't f'rg't feed fish, J'ck."  
  
"Danny, you'll feed the fish when we get home."  
  
Daniel took hold of Jack's hand again, and held on as tightly as he could. As he did, he mustered up all his strength and moved his aching head to look up at his colonel. Trying not to blink, tears forming in his eyes, the archaeologist spoke in a barely audible whisper. "Love you, J'ck, always, f'r'ver. 'memb'r, J'ck..."  
  
"Danny." the colonel squeaked out, a panic churning his stomach into knots of dread.  
  
Daniel blinked a couple of times, tears streaming down his face. "Kiss me, J'ck." As Jack did as his linguist requested, pressing their lips together in a recommitment of their unity, Daniel's hand released Jack's, falling limply to his side. Jack felt his partner's lip tremble and then cease sensation. Daniel was soaked with sweat. The older man pulled back and saw his lover's closed eyes. Tears flowed openly now from the colonel.  
  
"Daniel. Don't do this. I need you. Wake up, Danny." Jack stared, frozen for a moment in time, a time when life stopped, when all that he was flashed in front of him, and all that he was, was Daniel. "Danny." Jack snapped out of his shock long enough to take Daniel's pulse. It was there, faint, but Daniel was still alive.   
  
"Daniel." Over and over, Jack said his lover's name, but Daniel wouldn't wake up. Jack's face was wet, as wet as it had been the day Charlie died.   
  
"Charlie." Jack thought of his son every day. He had wanted to die when he and Sara buried their only child. He would have died, if not for the man Jack cradled in his arms, and Jack knew, if Daniel died, he would follow. He held on tight. Daniel's pulse was so slow, his breathing shallow.  
  
"Danny," Jack cried in a quiet desperation into his lover's ear, "I won't feed your fish, Danny. I won't live without you, so you have to live. You hear me, Dr. Jackson. If you.... You have to survive, Danny. Help is on the way; just a little longer. ...and when we're home, and you're safe, we'll go bike riding down the halls of the SGC. We'll do it, Danny. What are they going to do to us anyway? We've saved the world, over and over again. They won't touch us, Danny."  
  
Jack could barely speak. He was losing his control, his composure shot. He felt his life, his Daniel, slipping away, and there was nothing he could do, but hold on.  
  
"Danny. I love you, Danny." The words were repeated over and over. Jack's grip on his lover tightened, as if he could will Daniel to gather whatever strength he needed from him.   
  
"Live Danny. You haven't used all your nine lives yet." Memories of Daniel's various deaths and near deaths flashed in Jack's mind like a murderous nightmare. From Ra to Nem to Apophis, and even their crazy Kelowna dream, Jack relived his lover's loss until he simply couldn't stand to think anymore.   
  
"Space Monkey," Jack whispered, finally closing his own eyes, giving in to the battle and the loss.  
  
"Sir. Colonel O'Neill."   
  
Jack slowly opened his red-stained eyes. Daniel was clutched tightly to his chest, Jack's fingers molded to the young man.  
  
"Carter?"  
  
"Sir, please. You need to let go of Daniel. He needs help, Sir. Please."  
  
Jack looked at the man he held. He was pale, but looked so peaceful.  
  
"Danny?"  
  
Jack's grip was still firm.   
  
"Sir, we need to go, now. Janet is bringing some emergency medical equipment through the gate. If we leave now, we should rendezvous with her in just over an hour. Sir?"  
  
Jack was confused, staring at Carter, not sure if he was hallucinating or not, but he didn't want to release Daniel. He was afraid of what would happen if he did.  
  
"Carter, Daniel is..."  
  
"Sir... Jack, Daniel is alive, barely, but we have to get him out of here, now. I know this is hard. Sss.... Jack, Daniel needs you to let go of him so we can help him."  
  
Jack nodded. He didn't know who else was in the cave besides Carter and he didn't care either. He kissed Daniel on the forehead and said "I love you, Daniel. We're going home now," and then slowly let go of his lover, releasing him to Carter's care.   
  
Jack heard some shouting, but to him, the world was a blur. He saw people moving about, but his eyes were focused on the unconscious man being placed on a stretcher, secured into place with blankets and straps.  
  
More men came, and another stretcher was brought into the cave. Jack heard Carter talking to him, but her words were indistinct. All he could hear was Daniel's last words to him -- "Kiss me, J'ck". He'd never forget those words. He would hear them until the day he died, and Jack knew, that would be soon.  
  
Jack never felt the injection of Morphine. The last thing he saw were the marines headed out of the cave, carting his lover away. "Danny." The word died on Jack's lips as he succumbed to the drug-induced sleep.  
  
Jack dreamed of Daniel, holding him, touching him. He dreamed of precious blue eyes, soft succulent lips, slender fingers, fingers that touched him, stroked him, sent him to places of elation that he never knew existed before those magical fingers had touched him.   
  
Jack dreamed of a smile, the most beautiful smile in the universe. When Daniel smiled, it was like watching a tree being lit at Christmastime; his entire body shined as a reflection of this happy act. That smile, the one that said love, happiness, home was only for Jack, and Jack smiled, in his dream of Daniel.   
  
Jack wanted his dream to last forever; he didn't want to wake up and face the world alone. He couldn't. He wanted to stay where he was, with the dream of Daniel. Daniel .... beautiful Daniel with his soft silky hair, once long but now short.   
  
Jack dreamed of laughter, Daniel's laughter. Daniel laughed when Jack had fallen out of his little fishing boat. He laughed again when Jack dressed up as Bugs Bunny complete with long floppy ears and a furry tail (and Daniel really liked that tail) one year for a children's shelter. He laughed again when Jack kissed his appendix scar and called it sexy. Jack's subconscious smiled at Daniel's laughter, laughter few but he ever saw.   
  
Jack dreamed of making love with Daniel, passionate, all-consuming nights of ravishing and reassuring, of grounding and connecting.   
  
Words. Jack dreamed of words, words from the man he loved. "I love you", "home", "dance", "together, forever", "mine, mine, mine", "Jack, My Jack". Memories of words spoken by his lover, words echoing of love and commitment, of devotion and longing. Daniel's sometimes low and seductive, sometimes high and enthused voice stirred Jack's emotions. More words.   
  
"NO," Jack thought in his dream state. "I want to stay here, with Danny," he spoke out in his mind. He didn't want to wake up. Jack wanted to stay with Daniel. He needed Daniel to survive. "Danny," Jack's dream mind cried.  
  
"NOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Jack's yell was loud as he thrashed about in his small bed.  
  
"Colonel O'Neill, it's all right. You're at the SGC."  
  
Jack focused on Janet, saying nothing.  
  
"Colonel, you'll be fine. You've pulled a ligament in your left shoulder, but it's nothing too severe. You'll have to be on light duty for a few weeks, and go through a bit of physical therapy, but then you should be fine."  
  
Jack still said nothing. He wanted to go back to his dream world. What did it matter whether or not his shoulder was mended when Daniel was ..... "Danny." Jack whispered.  
  
"Colonel, Daniel is...."  
  
"No," Jack turned his head away from Janet. He didn't want to hear it. He just wanted to go back to sleep and stay there with his dream Daniel.  
  
"Daniel is fine, Sir. Well, he's not fine, but he will be after a few weeks of recuperation."  
  
Jack turned back to Janet, and then quickly tried to sit up, letting out a groan from the shock waves of pain that drove through him because of the effort. Janet reached towards him and gently pushed him down to a lying position on the bed.  
  
"You should know better than that, Sir."  
  
"Daniel? Where's Daniel?"  
  
"I have him in a private room, Sir. His head injury was pretty serious. If we hadn't gotten to him when we did, it would have been too late.  
  
"I tried, Doc, tried to keep him awake."  
  
"And you saved his life, Colonel."  
  
"He fell asleep," Jack almost cried. "I ... I couldn't wake him."  
  
"You kept him awake for hours, Sir, and that made the difference. He's going to be fine."  
  
"I need to see him."  
  
"You need to rest, Sir. Daniel is still unconscious. He won't be awake for several more hours. You can see him then."  
  
Jack's look worried the air force major. There was something haunting about it, but she couldn't determine what her eerie feeling meant.  
  
"I...I need to see him, Major."  
  
Janet's eyes arched at the use of "Major". No one used her ranking title at the SGC. There was a message there, and Janet had to quickly decide whether or not to give in to the colonel or hold her ground.  
  
"Please, Janet. I have to see Daniel."  
  
"Janet. Sir, you're awake."  
  
"Good observation, Carter. Carter, I need to see...."  
  
"Daniel, yes, Sir. I know, Sir. Janet, could we talk for a few minutes, privately? Excuse us, please, Sir."  
  
Jack nodded. Carter flashed a reassuring smile and walked off to the silence and security of Janet's private office. Five minutes later, Janet returned to Jack's bedside. Behind her were two attendants. She unhooked the cardiac monitor and pulse oximeter, and pushed the IV stand aside as Jack watched.   
  
"Janet?"  
  
"We're moving you into the room with Daniel, Sir. I am holding you on your honor as an officer to obey all the rules I give you, beginning with getting some rest once we get you in there. You will follow my instructions to the letter, Colonel. If you don't, I'll have you removed and returned to the infirmary. Is that clear, Sir?  
  
"Crystal."  
  
The attendants moved the bed into the private room where Daniel was. Jack's eyes widened at the sight of his lover. Daniel was hooked up to same medical doo-hickeys Jack had been, the cardiac monitor, pulse oximeter and a few IVs for who knew what, Jack thought, but Daniel was on oxygen as well, one of those things that went up through your nose instead of a mask, and he had some other thing attached to him as well that Jack didn't recognize. A nurse was making notations on a chart, but she quickly exited when Janet nodded her way.  
  
"Janet?" Sam asked a hidden question with her friend's name.  
  
"Five minutes, Sam, and then I want him back in his own bed and ready to sleep."  
  
"No problem, Janet."  
  
"I mean it, Sam. I'm breaking a lot of rules here, but I won't jeopardize Daniel's recovery, or the Colonel's."  
  
"Understood."  
  
With that, Janet left, leaving Sam with Jack and Daniel.   
  
"Carter?"  
  
"Sir, let me help you up."  
  
"Janet is giving you five minutes to ...., Sir, to..."  
  
"Understood, Carter."  
  
Sam helped Jack get his bearings and made sure he was safely at Daniel's side, seated at the edge of the bed.  
  
"I'll... leave you alone, Sir, but I'll have to come back."  
  
"Five minutes."  
  
"Yes .... Sir, I... I'll be back."  
  
"Carter?"  
  
"Sir?"  
  
"Thank you."  
  
Sam smiled. "He's going to be fine, Sir. I'll be back in five."   
  
Jack's eyes had never left his lover's, not even when he was talking to Sam. With his good hand, he reached out and took one of Daniel's, finally touching the man who was his heart, feeling his warmth for the first time since ... "I thought you died again, Danny."   
  
Jack's voice was quiet, soft, and he choked back years worth of tears he never knew he had. His hand caressed that of his lover's. It hurt, but Jack didn't care, supporting himself by pressing his good arm against Daniel's pillow, Jack leaned over and kissed his soul mate, taking his hand and placing it on his cheek as he rose upward.   
  
"Danny....." Jack had no words. He just kept stroking Daniel's cheek, then let his hand glide back down to re-engage the archaeologist's hand. Emotions threatened to overtake the supposedly tough colonel, but right now, Jack felt drained. He was sure Daniel had died, and he was equally sure he had died too, if not physically, then emotionally.  
  
Jack took Daniel's hand and moved both their clasped, entwined fingers over Daniel's heart. "Your heart is my heart, Danny," Jack said as he then moved their hands to rest over his own heart. "It's here, Danny. Your heart is in mine, always .... always, Danny."  
  
He knew Sam would be returning soon; his time was running out. Jack leaned in to his lover one more time, and placed a tender kiss on Daniel's lips, and then on his cheek, and yet another at the side of Daniel's neck. He placed yet one more on his lover's ear lobe, and spoke into the young man's ear.   
  
"You're my life, Danny, my heart. I wish I could tell you how much I love you, but you're the expert with the words. How can I tell you what you mean to me, how empty I am without you?"   
  
Jack found Daniel's lips again, briefly, and then his time was up.  
  
"I'm sorry, Sir. Janet insisted."  
  
Jack was still holding Daniel's hand. He was, in fact, still leaning over his lover when Sam walked back into the room. Jack had frequently been amazed at his 2IC's unerring knack of interrupting the couple at their most intimate moments on base or off world. It was frustrating.  
  
Jack sat up straight, brought Daniel's hand to his mouth and kissed it. He didn't care that Sam saw. Even though she had known about Jack and Daniel almost from the beginning of their relationship, they had never put her in a compromising position of actually seeing them do anything that the average person on the street couldn't see, but "I'm selfish," Jack thought to himself at the moment, and in the moment, he didn't care about "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"; he cared only about making sure his lover knew he was loved.  
  
Jack pushed Daniel's hand back to the young man's chest, back over his heart. "My heart, Danny. Yours, always. Remember that." He released Daniel's hand, and softly called to Sam to help him back to his nearby hospital bed.  
  
A misty-eyed Sam made sure her CO was comfortable, noticing that Jack's focus was totally on Daniel.  
  
"Janet promised me Daniel would be fine, Sir. The nurses will be in every couple of hours to check on him. He... Janet said he might wake up for a bit when they check him, but probably won't be very alert or remember if he does. But he should be awake by morning, Sir."  
  
"I thought he was dead, Carter. He fell asleep, and I couldn't wake him."  
  
"I know, Sir, but he'll be fine."  
  
"You found us, Carter. I told Daniel you would be ... I .... that passageway was so hidden."  
  
"We got lucky, Sir."  
  
"How?"  
  
"Well, Sir. Daniel, he ...., well...."  
  
"Carter, please, no games."  
  
"Sorry, Sir, we had no clue where you two were. We didn't see the passageway, and we wouldn't have, except ..."  
  
"Carter, spit it out. What's the problem?"  
  
"He's going to be embarrassed, Sir. He hasn't done anything like this in .... well, Sir, in years."  
  
Jack was glaring at her. He wanted to focus on Daniel, and if the major couldn't get to the point and fast, Jack was prepared to strangle her.  
  
"For the last time, Carter, what is it Daniel hasn't done in years?"  
  
"He must have been using his tape recorder, Sir, and then forgotten it. Teal'c spotted it on some rocks just as we were about to leave that area and check another. It was just sitting there, Sir. When Teal'c retrieved it, he saw the passageway."  
  
Jack gave a smirky laugh. "Why would Daniel even have out his tape recorder, Carter? There was nothing there to see."  
  
Seeing Carter laugh slightly, Jack asked, "What's so funny?"  
  
"Well, Sir, that's what Daniel said, on the tape recorder."  
  
"Carter, my head hurts. Speak English."  
  
"Sir, before we went through the passageway, Teal'c turned on the recorder to see if we could learn anything about what happened, but the only thing on the tape was, "I'll never admit this to Jack, but if I never see another rock, er artifact, in my life I wouldn't complain. This place is nothing but rocks, and boring rocks at that. I'm bored."  
  
Jack smiled. "He probably put the recorder down when he saw the passageway without realizing it."  
  
"Sounds like Daniel....well, Daniel a few years ago anyway."  
  
Jack looked at his lover and smiled. "Let's give him a break, Carter. This .... lapse .... saved our lives."  
  
Sam grinned. "Yes, Sir. It definitely did, Sir, and now I should go and let you rest. Janet insisted, and one of the nurses will be in to check on Daniel later."  
  
"Carter, about Dr. Fraiser...did you...."  
  
Sam looked away from her CO's eyes, and over to her science twin, then back to Jack.  
  
"Sir....Jack, I didn't tell Janet anything. I asked for a favor, Sir. I asked her to trust me, and suggested that she not ask me any questions. I told her that if she didn't ask, I...."  
  
"Wouldn't tell?"  
  
"Yes, Sir. I'm sorry, Sir, if I overstepped. I probably shouldn't...."  
  
"Carter?"  
  
"Sir?"  
  
"Daniel and I thank you, again, for everything. You're a good friend, Carter. We couldn't ask for a better one. I .... we.... Thank you."  
  
Sam blushed and was about to cry, something she didn't want to do in front of her CO.  
  
"Anytime, Sir. I really should go or Janet will be angry. I'll check back later, Sir."  
  
The next afternoon, Jack was in his usual place, by Daniel's bed. The young man had yet to awaken except for brief moments when the nurses had performed their neuro checks, asking him questions about who and where he was, and making sure his reflexes were appropriate.   
  
The colonel was concerned. Janet had said Daniel would be fully awake in 24 hours, by morning, so why wasn't he? The graying-more-by-the-second man was becoming even more worried. Sam had coerced Janet into giving Jack some more private time with Daniel without chance of being interrupted by the hovering nurses, and for that, Jack was grateful.   
  
Jack smiled for a moment thinking about the traffic pattern into their private room, speaking softly to his still-unconscious lover:  
  
"See, Danny, those nightingales are only required to come in here every couple of hours, but for you, it's like Grand Central Station; I think they just want to get their hands on you. Who could blame them, but you're mine, Danny, and I won't let you go. You better wake up soon, Love. You know how I am .... about other ... people touching you. I might end up decking Nurse Higgens. She's the worse you know. Keeps telling me she's just checking your pulse, but those hands are roaming a bit low for that, Dannyboy. You wouldn't me to hit a nurse, would ya, Danny?"  
  
Jack's tone had turned from amusement to desperation, as his fear increased.  
  
"C'mon, Danny, it's time to wake up. Let me see those baby blues. C'mon, Love."  
  
Jack's heart soared and his fear dissapated when he heard the soft and questioning "J'ck? Sleeping. Go 'way". A chuckle later, and sporting a very big smile. "Sorry, Danny, can't do that. C'mon, open your eyes and look at your old colonel."  
  
Daniel's eyes slowly opened. "Not old, Jack. Cute, not old."  
  
"I love you, Dr. Jackson."  
  
"Ditto, Colonel O'Neill."  
  
Six weeks later   
  
"Jack, we can't do this."  
  
"Yes, we can, Daniel."  
  
"The general won't be happy."  
  
"The general likes us; he'll be .... amused. Besides, he'll never know. It's after 11pm, Daniel. Hardly anyone is in the complex, let alone down here."  
  
"Jack" **(He might court martial you.)**  
  
"Daniel." **(No, he won't, now don't argue.)**  
  
"Jack, honestly, this is crazy. People are going to see us. The cameras, Jack."  
  
"Daniel, don't be a spoilsport. No one is down here, and I've taken care of the cameras. I promised you we'd do this, and we are."  
  
"I was unconscious. It ... it doesn't count."  
  
Jack looked down the corridors, still empty. He quickly kissed his archaeologist on the nose and went back to the task at hand saying as he did so, "Yes, it does, Danny, because I made that promise to you, and I always keep my promises, especially to you, even if you don't know I said it."  
  
"Jack." **(Please, Jack. I don't want you to get into trouble.)**  
  
"Daniel." **(You are nothing but trouble, Daniel, the best kind of trouble, and I love you, and we are doing this, so hush up.)**  
  
Realizing he had lost the argument, Daniel relented, and did as Jack instructed.  
  
"I'll handle the tough part, Daniel. You just hold on and don't let your feet drag."  
  
"You're a crazy man, O'Neill."  
  
"Yeah, but you love me anyway."  
  
Daniel laughed, "Well, it's a tough job, but someone has to do it, and I'm the only one dumb enough to take you on."  
  
"Here, put this on."  
  
"Jaaaack!"  
  
"Daniel, Fraiser will kill me if you fall off and aren't wearing a helmet. You're still on light duty, and she'll yell at me for messing up her fine stitch job. Put it on ... now!"  
  
"Slave driver."  
  
"No, that's for tonight."  
  
"Jack, stop. We're at the SGC."  
  
"Okay, okay. You ready for take off?"  
  
"Ready, Colonel. Full throttle ahead."  
  
General Hammond had stayed uncharacteristically late at the SGC. Meetings had interrupted his schedule, and with a vacation coming up he wanted to go away with a clean desk. At the moment, he was reviewing the latest report from SG-11 when Sgt. Siler, working late to assist the general, entered. "Sir, come quickly. You .. you have to see this, Sir." Hammond rose, and followed Siler to the control room.   
  
"What is it, Sergeant? I don't see anything unusual."  
  
Siler gulped. "The gate room, Sir. They're...in the gate room."  
  
The major general walked over to the large windows overlooking the gate room. As he looked down, he saw Colonel Jack O'Neill and Dr. Daniel Jackson, the two leading members of his flagship team, riding a bicycle built for two, both men laughing wildly.   
  
"General, what should we do?"  
  
The leader of the SGC watched Jack and Daniel for a few moments, then turned his attention to Siler and replied matter of factly. "Go back to work, Sergeant."  
  
"Sir?"  
  
"I have work to do, Sergeant. Don't you?"  
  
"Yes, Sir, I do, but what about Colonel O'Neill and Dr. Jackson?"  
  
Hammond took one more look at his leading clowns, still riding around in circles. Suppressing a laugh, he looked at Siler, displaying the military face that helped get him his rank of major general, and said simply, "What about them, Sergeant?"  
  
Siler understood the tone and nodded at the silent message. O'Neill and Jackson were ... not here.   
  
"Nothing, Sir." Siler practically gulped his reply in response to the general's most menacing glare.  
  
"I suggest you get back to work. I'd like to get out of here before midnight."  
  
As Siler acknowledged and exited, Hammond took a final look down at the two laughing men and smiled. It was good to see them having a good time. They had been through so many tragedies over the years, and the general noted the two had seemed more at peace in recent times.   
  
He watched as Jack and Daniel stopped the bicycle and got off. He watched them look at each other, still laughing, and saw their laughter dissolve into something else, into looks and glances that a major general knew he should not witness. For their own good, and his own, General Hammond turned, and returned to his office.   
  
In the gate room, being none the wiser about being watched, Jack touched Daniel's cheek and said, "Let's go home. Now, it's your turn to keep your promise."  
  
"And what promise is that, Jack?"  
  
"Bite me."  
  
Daniel laughed seductively, "At your command, Colonel."  
  
With that, the two lovers quietly exited the SGC, drove down the mountain, and to their home, where they made their own paradise of love and warmth, one that would last forever and always. 


End file.
